Chinese New Year is February 14th!

Gung Hay Fat Choy! It's the Year of the Tiger so ring in the New Year with a Roar.

Imagine if all your actions and the foods you ate on New Year's day dictated how the rest of your year would unfold?

The Chinese believe this to be true and thus, Chinese New Year is a hugely significant holiday and time-honored tradition celebrating the sacredness of the family and representing a time of renewal. Food plays a major role in the celebration and every dish prepared holds auspicious meaning and is believed to directly affect one's fortune for the coming year.

Every year, my family savors special New Year dishes which hold special meaning. Each dish has a name representing in some way luck, honor, longevity and riches such as "Firecracker Shrimp" (for good luck) or "Long Life Noodles" (for longevity - the longer the noodle, the longer the life). Here are some other examples of auspicious foods and their meaning:

-Lotus Seed – signifies having many male offspring
-Black Moss Seaweed – A homonym for exceeding in wealth
-Bamboo Shoots – A term which sounds like "wishing that everything will be well"
-Whole Fish – symbolizing abundance
-Whole Chicken served with feet and head – suggesting a favorable start and finish
-Uncut Noodles – represent long life

In addition to the incredible dishes, the Chinese follow some fascinating customs on Chinese New Year day, such as:

-Refrain from using foul language or bad words on New Year's Day or they will follow you throughout the year
-Washing hair is not allowed because you will wash away your good luck for the year
-Greeting friends with oranges or tangerines during the New Year will bring abundant happiness
-No sweeping on New Year's Day as you'll sweep all your good luck out the door
-Stepping into new shoes on New Year's morning to start your year off on the right foot (My personal favorite)
-Distribution of Red Envelopes (signifying Joy and Luck) filled with money to start the year with prosperity

Wishing you and your family a healthy, happy and prosperous New Year!

Katie